The Top 10 Ways to Get Organized

Studies show that most New Year’s resolutions are broken by January 15th. Getting organized is most people’s number one priority, yet it never seems to happen. Here are the top 10 ways to get organized. 1. Hire a coach. USA Weekend says: “Coaches help clients navigate their warp-speed lives and sort through the mental clutter of the Information Age.” Many coaches are trained in helping people get organized and can greatly reduce the learning curve, saving you time and energy. 2. Get your week organized. Try the Don’t Die at 50 Weekly Organizational Calendar™. If you can organize your week, you can organize your life. 3. Get a good accountability system. You’ll need this to manage multiple longer projects. I use the Gooding Accountability System ™. It works for individuals and businesses. Franklin Covey offers one. Check a search engine and find one that works for you. 4. Enlist the support of others involved in your projects. This means family, spouse, partner and co-workers. Everyone needs to be reading off the same page, and to be invested in the organizational process. 5. Develop your emotional intelligence. If intellect alone could do it, you’d be organized. Take The EQ Course™, an EQ assessment, and work with a coach. It’s skills such as Intentionality, Personal Power, and Authenticity that allow you to focus and achieve. 6. Work consistently. Changing habits take 3-6 months. At first you’ll have to concentrate of doing things differently. Eventually they become your ‘default mode’ and you don’t have to think about them any more. 7. When you fall off the horse, get right back on. Most people fail to learn new systems because they backslide and then give up. One of the hardest things you learned how to do was walk, and you didn’t let anything stop you from getting up and getting going. Keep this in mind! It’s amazing what you can learn if you set your mind to it. 8. Get into Intentionality. Intentionality is a high-level emotional intelligence competency. It means bringing intentions to fruition through concentrated effort. Is it your intention to “try” a new system or to do it? Is it your intention to start but not finish? Is it your intention to become overwhelmed and give up? Intentionality means being accountable for your motives as well as your actions. It means staying committed to your goals. 9. Start with small tasks at first. Choose one organizational task and keep at it. Keep the kitchen counter clean. Put the laundry away right away. Schedule a night out with your partner and stick to it. Mastering one organizational task leads to general mastery. 10. Reward yourself all along the way. Avoid perfectionism. You don’t have to be perfectly organized, just well enough. When you’ve kept the kitchen counter consistently uncluttered for a week, have a celebration. Take the time to feel how much better you feel. Reward yourself in some way. This fuels further progress. Make this the year you GET ORGANIZED!